Die for me, Darling
by smaragdbird
Summary: AU in which Khan was a good guy and stayed on the Enterprise. Five times he saved McCoy's life and one time McCoy returned the favor. (Khan/McCoy)


1.

"You're not invincible", Leonard snapped as he inspected the wounds on Khan's body. Only the pink circles of newly healed skin remained of the frankly hideous wounds the explosion had left. Leonard remembered how Khan had pulled a large piece of debris out of his lower back so the wound could start to heal.

"Close enough", Khan smirked.

"Well one day it fucking won't be enough and what will you do then?"

"Some people would say thank you."

"Don't come to me with your outdated 20th century etiquette. If we were all thanking the morons who deliberately threw themselves in the way of an explosion it would only encourage them," Leonard took a deep breath and, almost as an afterthought, added quietly, "but thank you."

When he saw Khan's smile he pressed his finger against his chest warningly. "Don't ever pull that stupid shit again."

Khan had enough self-preservation to keep quiet.

/

2.

"Not an explosion."

"Not the fucking damn point", Leonard ran a hand through his hair which was white with dust. "I don't even have a first aid kit." The building had collapsed over them without a warning. And Khan, unbelievably stupid idiot that he was, had pushed Leonard out of the way and into the doorway, the sturdiest part of any room.

"Just pull them out."

"And watch you bleed to death? No thank you."

"That won't happen."

"You don't fucking know that. And I won't take chances with your life."

"I knew you liked me, doctor."

"I swore an oath and Hippocrates didn't exclude suicidal morons from it."

Khan tried to reach around and pull the steel pipe out of his stomach but Leonard caught his hand.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Once I'm healed I can help you to find a way out of here."

Leonard tightened his grip on Khan's hand. "The Enterprise will beam us up. And you'll keep still until they do."

"And you'll hold my hand until then? That's quite the bedside manner. I would have injured myself earlier if I had known it would result in this."

/

3.

"I defeated a dragon and saved you from an evil sorcerer, shouldn't that merit a kiss?"

"That animal wasn't even remotely related to any sort of Terra reptilian species, not even a fictional one and the man was a scientist, not a sorcerer."

"The villagers called him a sorcerer."

"You have claw marks on your cheek."

"I never said I was unscathed, wasn't I? A handkerchief as the token of your affection would suffice."

"Thought you were from the 20th century, not the 13th."

"Are you implying that chivalry was dead in my time?"

"I'm saying your century had a penchant for romanticising the past."

"But you didn't answer my question."

"If I kiss you will you stop risking your life?"

"It would be a good start unless you - "

"Don't fucking argue with me", Leonard said and kissed Khan before he could reply.

/

4.

"We will never speak of this again."

"I'm sure we could win a fortune from the "cliché sci-fi tropes missions" pool if we told the rest of the crew", Khan said with a perfectly serene face.

Leonard turned his head to glare at him. "No."

"We will have to file an official report anyway."

"That's why vague phrases were invented."

"Are you asking me to lie on an official report?"

"Stop sounding like Spock."

"Would you have rather had him saving your life with this ritual?"

"Do you ever want to have sex with me again?"

Khan smirked. "You cannot resist me."

"Oh, can't I?" Leonard raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You could have chosen differently. Your life was on the line and you still chose me. Opened your legs for me. Let me take you on their altar to appease their gods. Called out my name when you came. Kissed me afterwards when you could have done all of this with one of their priests." Khan had taken a step closer with each sentence and now not even an inch separated them.

"We have this thing called fidelity."

"One more reason why you won't resist me", Khan leaned in to kiss him but Leonard stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Nice try", he said dryly. "But you need a bit more than that."

The glint in Khan's eyes told him that he was more than up for the challenge.

/

1.

"Len", Khan's soft whisper of his name was the only warning Leonard got before Khan's knees gave out and he fell to the ground.

"Come on", Leonard grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up but Khan's body wouldn't cooperate.

"I lied earlier. They got me, too." Leonard wanted to hoist him up but Khan stopped him with a hand against his chest. "Back when we met, I planned to betray you. To kill you. And then I couldn't. You got under my skin."

"Makes me sound like a bloody parasite."

Khan smiled weakly. "Like a Goa'uld."

"No outdated popcultural references, remember?"

"I'm dying, sue me."

"Cut the melodramatics. You're not dying on my watch, full stop."

"Is that an order?"

"Damn right it is. Where did they hit you?" But before Khan could answer Leonard had found the rip in his shirt. The cut had already healed but from the sickly colour of Khan's skin the poison was too much even for his body.

"Remember me and smile, for it's better to forget than to remember me and cry."

Leonard hoisted him up into his arms. "You will not quote Dr. Seuss at me as your last words. Be at least original or don't die."

"Would you rather hear I love you?"

"Lots of people use that as their last words. That's not original, it's cliché." He shifted Khan's body so he could check his radio for a signal. It was weak but it was there. "Enterprise, this is Dr. McCoy. I need beaming for me and Khan immediately, directly into sickbay."

"Dr...Coy...copy...sick...ay."

/

Khan woke up in the infirmary. Leonard was asleep on a chair next to his bed, their privacy preserved by curtains drawn around them. He still felt sleepy, probably an after-effect of the meds that would wear off soon enough.

Leonard looked exhausted and Khan wondered how long it had taken to bring him back. The poison had been too strong for his body and it had no known antidote and yet here he was undeniably alive.

Khan wrapped his hand around Leonard's which woke him up. For a moment they only looked at each other and there was something light and free in Leonard's eyes that made Khan feel safe.

"Hey", Leonard said softly, entangling his fingers with Khan's.

"Hey", Khan replied. "You were right after all."

"I'm always right. And some people would say thank you."

Khan pulled their entangled hands towards him and pressed a kiss to the back of Leonard's hand. "Thank you."


End file.
